Iconic Mac's Convenience Stores Are Disappearing All Across Canada And Here's Why

The stores will be phased out completely.

If you're a millennial, there's a good chance that your childhood consisted of walking over to Mac's with your friends and buying slushies in the summertime with the money your mom gave you.

The Canadian convenience store is iconic, and most of us can remember visiting the store at least a handful of times as a kid. But as it turns out, those memories are going to be all we have left of Mac's, because the chain is closing down. Permanently.

Alimentation Couche-Tard - one of the largest company-owned convenience store operators in the world - is retiring the 54-year-old Mac's convenience store brand as it unites under the Circle K banner in most areas of the world.

Those in Atlantic Canada may already be familiar with Circle K - there are already 125 stores there. As for everyone else, the chain is mostly popular in Asia. Couche-Tard operates more than 1,800 stores under the Circle K banner in 14 countries and territories including China, Costa Rica, Egypt, Guam, Honduras, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Macau, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam, which brings the worldwide total network to more than 15,700 stores, according to reports.

Circle K locations have been popping up all over the country where Mac's stores used to be — in September of 2015, the company announced that it would adopt the Circle K brand on all of its stores in English Canada, while retaining the Couche-Tard name for its locations in Quebec. And the expansion is beginning right now.

Couche-Tard is currently welcoming applicants to operate the first new franchises under its Circle K banner. The expansion begins in the Ontario market, and the company has more information on its franchising website.

It's not clear when exactly the new Circle K stores will completely take over the current Mac's stores, but you might want to start saying your goodbyes soon. There's a new kid on the block, and it's crushing all of your childhood memories.